


you were loved

by puddlesocks



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Crush, Awkward Flirting, Constellations, Crushes, Drinking & Talking, First Meetings, Flirting, Light Angst, Loke Arc (Fairy Tail), Loke Being a Flirt, M/M, Magic, Meet-Cute, Mirajane Being a Good Friend, Near Death, Non-Canon Relationship, Not Beta Read, Protectiveness, Slow Romance, Stars, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24509770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puddlesocks/pseuds/puddlesocks
Summary: A Celestial Wizard and a flirt walk into a bar.
Relationships: Aries & Loke (Fairy Tail), Karen Lilica & Loke, Loke/Original Male Character, Loke/Reader
Kudos: 22





	you were loved

**Author's Note:**

> hehe i plan on making this a lil series anyway there is a criminal lack of loke fics here so come get y'all juice
> 
> i haven't written since i was legit like 12 so uhhhh i am sorry if this is not good or whatever.... i'm also only just starting to re-watch fairy tail and i'm very much at the beginning so like if there are any mistakes regarding canon facts or whatever sorry!!! that's just how it gonna be
> 
> anyway self inserts are the best and loke is bisexual *tips hat*

It had been a long time since Cress Eventide felt like he had a home. He had to admit – Fairy Tail was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time.

He had come to Fairy Tail only a few months ago, slightly after one Miss Lucy Heartfilia had arrived. She was sweet, and as a fellow Celestial Mage they had something in common that led to a steady friendship in the short amount of time Cress had been here. She already had quite the collection of keys herself, and Cress was honestly starting to think that maybe he needed to step up his game. He only had two golden keys himself – Pisces and Ophiuchus. He loved them dearly, but he never had been the type of person to be overly motivated to become an ‘all-powerful mage’ or whatever. Collecting keys was cool and all, but Cress was honestly more interested in developing the relationship he had with his already-existing keys, rather than focusing on getting any new ones.

Being a Celestial Spirit Mage these days was tough – competitive, even. There was only a set amount of golden gate keys in the world, and Cress knew that most Celestial Wizards would do anything to get their hands on even just one. He couldn’t blame them, really. Celestial Wizards relied on their keys to complete jobs and develop their magical abilities. Besides, who wouldn’t want a super powerful key that could summon a Spirit of the Zodiac? 

Though, having Lucy around and seeing her collect so many keys in such short amounts of time stirred a feeling deep in his stomach – a competitive swirl of jealousy and inspiration to do better for himself.

Cress sighed, fiddling with the rim of his drink as he sat at the guild bar. Mira was off to his left behind the bar, serving customers with a bright smile on her face. The Celestial Mage looked over at her, his eyes full of a casual curiosity. He never had understood how she could be so friendly and social all the time and never look drained. 

His thoughts were momentarily interrupted when he heard the screech of the bar stool next to him being dragged out and sat on by a figure. His eyes traveled over to the stranger, and the first thing he noticed was dusty ginger hair and a very fluffy-looking jacket. Cress narrowed his eyes, his hand continuing to fiddle with his drink as he observed the stranger. He was mostly zoning out and just so happened to be looking in the stranger’s direction, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t also trying to get a good look at him because he was pretty handsome. 

“May I ask why you’re staring at me like I’m made of stone?” 

Cress’ back stiffened and he sat up straight, his hand that was fiddling with his drink fumbling and spilling the beer over the bar. “Shit!” The mage desperately tried to mop up as much of his drink as he could, grasping at the napkins that were placed in the middle of the bar. He surrendered when Mira waltzed over with a cloth and wiped it away with a knowing smile. 

Mumbling apologies with a bright red face, Cress shifted his gaze back to the stranger who was now facing him properly. Getting a good look at his face, he noticed that his tinted glasses were poorly concealing dark bags under his eyes that could honestly have passed for bruises. He looked tired, but by the way he was carrying himself you wouldn’t have guessed it.  
Cress gulped, before stammering out a reply, “I-I uh… S-Sorry I was just- You’re really hot.” His eyes widened as he realised what he had said, his hand flying to cover his mouth. He mentally bonked himself for his lack of a mouth-to-brain filter. God, he needed another drink. 

His face instantly turned beetroot red, his ears and neck following suit. The stranger cocked a brow and let out an amused laugh, before placing his chin on his hand and leaning on the bar. “So, you’re another fan, eh? Name’s Loke, I’m a mage here.” He paused, before slowly dragging his eyes down and back up Cress’ figure. If it were possible to turn even more red, Cress would have caught fire. 

“I-I-I uh… Y-Yeah, sorry about that… I tend to ramble when I’m nervous, heh.” The mage rubbed his hand on his neck, willing desperately that his heated face would cool down. It didn’t really help, and when Loke’s eyes flicked up and down Cress’ form, he felt a wire in his brain short-circuit. “U-Uh… Loke, huh? I don’t think we’ve properly met. Name’s Cress – I only recently joined Fairy Tail.” He tried to gain some composure, removing his hand from his neck and moving it to grasp the drink that Mira had so dutifully placed in front of him.

With a soft smile and thankful wave to the woman, Cress shifted his attention back to Loke. The man seemed to carefully consider his next words to Cress, as if what he was going to say would have to leave a lasting impression. “New, huh? No wonder I hadn’t seen your face around here before. I tend to remember a pretty mage when I see one.” With a smirk and a wink, Cress let out a noise he would later look back on as very undignified ‘eep’. 

“Haha, yeah… I’m hoping to meet more of the regulars here over the next week or so. I really only know Lucy and Mira if I’m being honest.” He mumbled, grasping his drink with two hands, and shifting his gaze down to stare at the amber liquid in the glass. Admitting to a total stranger, albeit a guild-mate, that you’re struggling to make friends doesn’t make for a very good first impression.  
Though, Loke didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he almost looked sad. Out of the corner of his eye, Cress saw the ginger turn his own gaze down to the drink in front of him. His glasses slipped slightly down his face and Cress could more properly make out tired, dark eyes that seemed to be sadder than he would ever let on. “You say you know Lucy, huh?” Loke murmured, grabbing his drink and taking a long swig.

Cress turned his head at that comment – why did he say it like it was the most tragic thing in the world to know Lucy?

“Yeah well, birds of a feather tend to flock together, or whatever. Not many Celestial Wizards in this part of town.” Cress let out a low chuckle, following Loke in taking a slow sip of his drink. He heard the clatter of something hitting the bar and heard Loke choking, whipping around to see the man’s eyes focused wildly on him. His glasses had fallen onto the bench, exposing Loke’s eyes and the shocked expression on his face. His drink had been all but forgotten, and for the first time since the conversation started, Loke was the one who was taken aback.

“Y-You’re a Celestial Wizard?” He stammered loudly, causing Mira to look up from the glass she was cleaning. 

Cress was confused at the tone Loke had used. His eyebrows furrowed and he felt himself get slightly defensive. “Yeah, and? What’s so wrong with being a Celestial Spirit Mage?” He had copped enough shit his entire life about being a ‘weak’ mage for relying on his Spirits to fight for him, and he most certainly didn’t join Fairy Tail to be berated by some random jacket-clad skirt-chaser.  
Loke stiffened and his eyes held Cress’ gaze firmly. There was still a wild look to the other man, but it was almost calculative, like he was trying to figure out all the implications of Cress’ magic would have on him specifically. 

When the gear’s in Loke’s head stopped whirring, the shock on his face was quickly masked with a solemn look. A soft chuckle escaped his lips, that slowly evolved into uproarious laughter. His hand was firmly grasping the bar as he choked back his laughs, and Cress felt his face burn red. Though, this time it wasn’t because a cute boy had been flirting with him.

It was shame. A hot, burning shame that spread its way through his body and curled tightly in his throat like a boa constrictor. He could feel the tears threatening to spill from his eyes, and his gaze narrowed at Loke’s laughing figure. Cress slammed his glass down on the bar, causing the other people sitting at the bar to fall silent and look over, and make Mira’s concerned expression worsen. Loke let out one final huff of laughter, gripping his stomach and wiping a tear from his eye.

“Oh, that’s too funny! Of course you’d be a Celestial Mage – isn’t that just my luck!” Cress’ eyes narrowed even further, and he stood with such animosity that the stool underneath him toppled to the ground. 

“And would you like to share with the class what was so funny about my being a Celestial Wizard, dickhead?” Cress growled, his angry gaze locked firmly on Loke’s stupid ginger head. The other wizard only smiled, like he knew something Cress didn’t – which only enraged the mage further. With one final curl of his lip, Cress pulled some coins out of his pocket and slammed them down on the bar. He looked at Mira and nodded curtly, before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket and storming out of the guild hall. 

Mira turned to Loke as soon as Cress had left, her gaze fierce. “Loke! Cress is new here and was already struggling with talking to new people – something which he had _just_ told you! I don’t care about whatever history you have with Celestial Wizards; you will go and apologise and you will do so right now!” She fumed, and a few of the other guild members sitting at the bar started whispering about how dead Loke was going to be if he ignored what Mira had said. 

Loke let out a long sigh, his tired eyes drifting to the forgotten drink that had been sitting in front of Cress. 

“I know, Mira. I know.” He stood, pulling some coins of his own out of his pocket and placing them gently next to the ones Cress had slammed onto the bar. He picked up his glasses and neatly placed them back onto his face, before turning and shuffling slowly out of the guild. 

______________________________________________________________________

Cress was mumbling obscenities to himself as he walked along the canal that ran through Magnolia. He kicked a stray pebble and watched it bounce on the cobblestone before falling into the water. God, he sure had some things to rant about in his diary-writing session tonight.

He let out a ‘tch’, before shoving his hands deeper into his pockets and sinking further into his jacket. He stopped when he reached the bridge, leaning his back casually on the stone railing and letting out a sigh. 

He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. 

His eyes trailed up from the canal, to the skyline, and finally to the starry night sky. He hadn’t realised how late it was when he had stormed out of the guild hall, and if he was being honest, he wasn’t too sure what part of Magnolia he was in. His mind tended to blank when he was angry, and he had just walked until he was tired and found a bridge to loiter on. 

Cress let out a breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the stars seemed to shine brighter. They always did when his mind was clear. He flicked through the constellations he could see, most of them not being visible with the city lights polluting the view. 

He began to absentmindedly rattle off the names of the constellations he could see to calm himself down, “Big Dipper, Ursa Major, Cancer, Virgo…” 

“Leo.”

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts, causing him to quickly turn his head to the source of the interruption. 

He saw Loke, looking tired as ever, standing at the base of the bridge. He tilted his head as if to ask for permission to approach, and Cress huffed but motioned for him to come over. Loke smiled, and slowly made his way next to Cress, leaning on the stony bridge wall with him. 

Cress side-eyed the man, but found Loke staring up at the sky like he had just been doing himself. There was a look of longing in the man’s gaze – a deep sadness cast upwards to the heavens. It was a moment before he finally spoke, his gaze still turned upward, “Do you think shooting stars ever miss being up in the sky?” He murmured, his forlorn gaze not shifting from the starry sky above them.  
Cress hadn’t really expected a question but didn’t say anything at first. He mimicked Loke and turned his eyes upwards, and for a minute it was just them and the sky. 

“Yeah. I think they do.” He finally said. He looked over at Loke, the anger in his eyes replaced with a gentle concern. 

Loke only nodded numbly, his face remaining unchanged. When he let out a sigh, Cress felt his heart jump.

“I won’t make it to the end of the week, so I suppose I should apologise now. Can’t have any loose ends, and all that.” A sad smile graced his face, and for a brief moment Cress could only think about how beautiful he would look with a real smile instead. 

“Won’t make it to the end of the week? What does that mean, Loke?” Cress couldn’t help the nerves that edged his tone, his body suddenly not quite as relaxed as it just had been. Loke only sighed for the umpteenth time, smiling again like he knew something Cress didn’t. 

“It doesn’t matter. But for what it’s worth… I would have liked to have gotten to know you more. Maybe even have taken you out on a date. You seem… You seem nice, Cress. A good Celestial Wizard.” Loke moved slightly closer to the mage, their shoulders brushing slightly. Cress took in a sharp breath at the proximity, his face beginning to flush.

“W-Well… If you’re gonna compliment me, the least you could do would be take me out for dinner.” He mumbled, turning his eyes down to his feet. Loke chuckled, and gently tugged at Cress’ arm. Cress turned his head and pulled his hand out of his pocket, only for Loke to pull off one of his rings and place it in the palm of Cress’ hand. Loke’s hand covered Cress’ own and gently encouraged him to curl his fingers around the ring. Cress was silent, his eyes curious and wide. 

“Keep it safe for me, okay? It’s special, and… And I think it’s only fitting that a Celestial Wizard hang onto it for me.” Loke smiled softly and locked his eyes with Cress’. The Celestial Mage could only stare and take in the details of his face, the bags under his eyes seeming to have gotten worse since their conversation at the guild. He looked so, so tired, and Cress had no idea how to help him. 

“… I’ll take care of it.” It was all Cress could muster to say, his hand tightening around the ring. Loke hadn’t removed his hand from Cress’, but slowly let his hand fall back down to his side. Cress slowly slipped the ring into his pocket, hesitating slightly before deciding to keep his hand concealed there too. 

Loke’s gaze remained gentle and sad, before he closed his eyes and turned away from Cress. “Goodnight, Cress.” He slowly started to walk to the base of the bridge, before turning and walking down along the canal the way Cress had come.

He didn’t look back, and Cress was left standing on the bridge under the stars.

______________________________________________________________________

The next day, Cress made his way bright and early to the Fairy Tail guild hall.

He was determined to pick Mira’s brain for information about Loke, since the wizard himself didn’t seem to ever want to say anything other than a pick-up line or a cryptic message. Cress had figured that out of everyone, Mira would probably be the safest bet to ask about the mysterious man, since she would speak to most people daily at the bar. 

He pushed open the door, only to see a gaggle of clearly very distressed men and women gathering at the bar. Mira seemed to be behind the bar trying to soothe them but was very obviously uncomfortable, glancing around to see if anyone could help her. Cress looked around himself, but no one else seemed to be loitering around the hall so early in the morning to step in and help her.  
Welp, guess he’d have to do.

Cress warily made his way over to the bar and cleared his throat. When none of the group seemed to hear him, he tried again with more gusto. Finally, one of them turned around and gave him the nastiest glare he had ever received.

“Um, who are you? We’re a bit busy at the moment.” She sneered, venom lacing her voice. Mira noticed Cress’ presence, and he could see her silently begging him to help her.

Cress smiled slightly and turned his eyes back to the group in front of him, who had now all turned around the face him. “Uh… I need to talk to Mira. Like, now. Alone.” He said bluntly, hoping they would take the hint and go away. 

When that didn’t seem to work, Mira chimed in, “Hello, Cress. These are Loke’s uh… Companions. They’re looking for him. Would you happen to have seen him at all today?” She spoke through grit teeth and her voice was strained, and she was obviously trying to get him to lead them away from the guild.

Cress stammered slightly before replying, “Oh… Oh! Uh, yeah. I actually saw him at the cathedral. All the way on the other side of town. Crazy, huh?” He laughed nervously, his smile wide and anxious. His awkward laughter faded when the group looked at each other, before huffing and strutting out of the guild. Cress let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and turned to Mira. She smiled apologetically and went back to polishing the glasses that she must have been tending to before the group of Loke super-fans had interrupted.

“Sorry about that, Cress. They all came in this morning as soon as I opened the doors, demanding to know where Loke was. Apparently he broke up with all of them last night without an explanation.” The concern in her voice was obvious, and her eyes darted between Cress and the glass in her hand nervously. “I… I don’t know where he is, and if I’m being honest, I’m quite worried.” She pursed her lips, as if she were deciding whether what she had to say next was something she should be telling anyone. “Loke has always had… A bit of a libido, to say the least. He’s usually very upfront to his partners about them not being the only one in his life, but to break up with them all at once… It’s very unlike him.” She spoke carefully, and Cress could only nod along. What Mira said definitely matched the vibe Cress had gotten from Loke, and he could agree that it seemed weird to break up with all his ‘companions’ at once. 

The Celestial Wizard paused for a moment before speaking, “Do you think he’s okay? He was saying some really weird stuff last night when he came to apologise to me.” Cress explained, pulling the ring out of his pocket, and showing it to Mira. Her gaze hardened as she looked at the ring, and she closed her eyes and let out a strained sigh. 

“That is most definitely not a good sign. I’ll let the Master know that something might be wrong.” She opened her eyes and smiled warmly at Cress, her gaze softening for a moment. “Thank you for being patient with him, and for accepting his apology. Loke means well, he really does, he’s just…” Mira trailed off, but Cress somehow felt like he knew what she meant. She smiled again, before turning and walking out of the bar and towards the Master’s office. 

As she left, Cress examined the ring between his fingers. It would shine brilliantly as the lights of the guild hall caught it, and it took Cress a moment to realise there were words engraved in the inner side of the band. Squinting, he held it up close to his face and tried to make out the words. “ _Reg… Regulus_ …? That’s one of the stars in the Leo constellation…” He murmured, twisting the ring between his fingers. When it caught the light, Cress’ eyes widened. The letters shifted as he moved the ring under the light, changing to form a new word. “… _Karen Lilica?_ Where have I…” Cress’ eyes shot open and he quickly shoved the ring into his pocket, before dashing out of the guild.

______________________________________________________________________

Cress was heaving by the time he had made it to the grave site. His mind was racing the entire way there, memories of the death of a Celestial Mage known as Karen Lilica flashing through his mind. It had been a whole scandal when it happened, as Karen was a very well-known Celestial Mage of the Blue Pegasus guild. From what Cress had heard, none of her keys were recovered from her body, leading most to assume the person who killed her had taken them before they left. If Cress’ hunch was correct, then how could Loke…

His train of thought stopped abruptly when he noticed the sound of rushing water growing louder. The grass beneath his feet had gradually shifted to a stony cliff edge that was framed by a massive curved waterfall. The cliff face was sharp, but there was a small platform in the centre with a headstone neatly settled in the middle.

Karen Lilica’s grave.

Cress looked around wildly for Loke, and he drew in a breath when he saw him kneeling by the grave. The Celestial Mage slowly made his way up to the headstone, stopping to stand next to the man. He didn’t stand, only let out a sigh.

“How did you find me?” He murmured, brushing one of the flowers that had been placed on his grave with his knuckles. Cress watched with wide eyes as it crumbled to ash, blowing away with the breeze. Loke only closed his eyes, as if he knew it was only a matter of time before he did the same. 

“The ring. I noticed the inscription and… Who are you? Really?” Cress pressed, curiosity lacing his tone. 

Loke chuckled, which turned into heaving coughs. Cress quickly knelt next to him and placed his hand on his back. Loke’s stance faltered and he lent gently onto Cress’ shoulder.  
“I think you already know the answer, don’t you?” He turned to look at Cress, and his form began to shimmer. Cress’ eyes widened in panic, and he felt the hand that was on Loke’s back fall through as if he were a hologram. 

“Wh-What’s happening to you? You… Why don’t you go back to the Spirit World, Leo? You can’t stay here; Spirits can’t stay in the human world – it kills you!” Cress exclaimed, the anxiety he had been feeling since he had realised the truth seeping into his voice. “You need to go back now – you shouldn’t have been here for so long…”

Loke scowled at the name, before gently removing his glasses and folding them, placing them into the inner pocket of his coat. “I can’t. I broke the law, Cress – I can’t go back there. It’s been three years since I was banished, and I deserve this punishment. I just… I just want it to be over now.” He closed his eyes and his form began to fade even more. Cress could feel the panic rising in his chest and threatening to bubble up his throat. Three years? He’d been alone in the human world for three years?

“You can’t just give up! Just go back, that’ll restore your strength! Please, Loke! You can’t just let yourself die!” Cress snapped as he felt the words tumble out of his mouth. 

Loke growled and hit the ground with a tight fist. “I let her die, Cress! She was threatening Aries and I… She could only ever open one gate at a time, so I figured if I forced my gate to stay open, she couldn’t hurt Aries anymore…” Loke was crying now, rambling as he recounted the story to the wizard next to him. “I thought she wouldn’t take any new jobs, there was no way she could protect herself without summoning a Spirit…” He mumbled, salty tears slipping down his cheeks and onto the rocky floor beneath him.

Cress listened with wide eyes. Loke’s owner had died in his attempt to prevent one of his fellow Spirits from being abused. He had stopped his Celestial Mage from being able to open gates, and she must have died taking on a job she couldn’t handle… 

Anger boiled in Cress’ gut, and his hands curled into tight fists. What had happened was not Loke’s fault, and yet he was being punished for it? In what universe was that fair? His friend – one of the only people he’d really be able to even call a friend – was about to disappear because of the stupidity and cruelty of his long-dead owner?  
He refused to let that happen. 

Cress felt something stir deep within his chest – a magic he didn’t know he possessed. It curled around his arms, his legs, his neck, and seeped into the ground around him. Golden light began to emanate from Cress’ body, and the wind around the two of them became more intense. 

Loke blinked wildly, before grabbing Cress’ shoulders. “What are you doing! You can’t close my gate, Cress! I can’t go back to the Celestial World – you’re just going to over-exert your magic! You’re going to hurt yourself, stop!” He cried, his voice tense and panicked. Cress’ vision grew hazy and he could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness, but his will remained strong. Loke’s grip on the mage’s shoulders tightened, and Cress could only think about how much he didn’t want Loke to die. 

And then time stopped. 

The water stopped falling and the breeze halted. Cress was still glowing, but he felt a surge of calm pass over him, and he slumped forward into Loke’s arms. His magic was still pulsing out of control, but it was if someone had placed a hand over his magic and was preventing it from exploding. 

“Mm… S’okay… I’m not gonna let you die…” Cress mumbled into Loke’s shoulder. He could feel the fluff from the man’s jacket tickling the side of his face, but he found that he didn’t really mind. Loke squeezed him tight in a make-shift hug, as Cress was so exhausted that his arms fell limply by his side. 

They were both snapped out of their moment by a booming voice. “Old friend, why have I been summoned?” The voice was that of a man, and Cress sat up weakly and turned his head. He tightly gripped Loke’s arm and his mind went blank.

The Celestial Spirit King was standing before them, blocking out the entire sky. 

“Wh- Cress, how did you do that?” Loke asked, his eyes wide as he looked at the mage next to him. Cress didn’t know how to answer, so he simply opened his mouth and closed it again. A strangled sort of noise came out of his mouth, but both wizards could only look up and the massive looming figure of the King. 

“Old friend, it appears your companion here is determined to save your life. He showed great courage in summoning me – or perhaps great foolishness.” His stern voice boomed and echoed throughout the now silent cliff face, and Cress couldn’t seem to find his eyes – though he was sure they’d be just as intimidating. 

“S-Sir, I…” Loke’s voice faltered either out of fear or general speechlessness, so Cress figured it was his turn to speak up. 

“I-If I may, your Majesty…” Cress struggled to his feet, keeping one hand firmly on Loke’s shoulder to ground himself. “Loke needs to go back to the Spirit World, or he’s going to fade. I don’t know what he did to deserve banishment, and frankly I don’t care!” Cress’ confidence grew the longer he spoke, momentarily forgetting that he was speaking to the equivalent of a God. As far as he was concerned, this kind of ‘punishment’ was barbaric and unfair. “You can’t just keep someone in a world that literally sucks the life out of them the longer they stay there!” Cress was yelling now, his voice bouncing off the cliff walls. The King stayed silent, and Loke could only stare at Cress with his mouth agape. 

“C-Cress, don’t make things worse! I deserve this, what I did was-”

Loke was cut off as the Celestial King raised one hand to silence him. Loke instantly snapped his mouth shut and hung his head, his hands curling into fists on the ground.

“You speak highly of my old friend, and though it pains me to see him in such a state, he was inadvertently responsible for the death of his former owner. Karen Lilica died because Loke kept her from summoning another Spirit by forcing his own gate open to remain open – a direct violation of the rules we Spirits are bound by. This is his punishment.” Though his stance was firm, Cress knew he could hear an underlying sadness in his voice. It only fuelled the rage that was burning in Cress’ stomach when the King called him an old friend. 

Cress took a few angry steps forward and tilted his chin up to the King, “You call him a friend and yet you sit back and watch while he fades away? What happened to Karen Lilica was tragic, but Loke had nothing to do with her death. She took on a job she couldn’t handle and suffered the consequences. If she hadn’t been so horrible to Aries, Loke wouldn’t have felt the need to step in! He shouldn’t be punished for standing up for the safety of his friend!” Cress shouted at the King, tears beginning to spill from his eyes. He was waving his hands around wildly as he tended to do when he was angry. His eyes were firm, and his gaze was furiously aimed at the Celestial King, who merely stroked his moustache in thought.

After a moment, the King hummed and let out a deep sigh. “…Perhaps you are right.” Loke’s jaw was still agape, and tears were still pricking the corners of his eyes. Cress looked back at him, and in the brief moment that their eyes met, Cress felt a surge of emotion that he hadn’t felt before. 

The King continued. “My judgement on Leo was predetermined, and narrow-minded. He was only trying to protect his friend Aries from enduring anymore abuse.” Cress opened his mouth to speak but only nodded dumbly. A rumble echoed from the King’s chest as he continued, “However, I cannot deny that he must be punished for his actions. I will allow him back to the Celestial Spirit World on the condition that he serves under you as your Celestial Spirit.” The King smiled down on the two wizards, a hint of playfulness in his tone.

Cress’ heart stopped momentarily, and he let out a strangled noise. He turned back to Loke, who was smiling warmly. “I would love to serve under Cress, your Majesty. Thank you… Thank you for giving me a second chance.” Loke turned to Cress, and the mage couldn’t help but think that the thanks was directed at him. 

The King nodded, and his form began to shimmer and fade. “Be thankful you have such a caring friend, Leo. I look forward to seeing you come home.” He smiled gently down on the two mages, before fading into the sky. Time slowly kicked back into motion, and the waterfall crashed loudly back to life.

It was silent for a moment as Cress stood by the edge of the cliff with his mouth hanging open. He turned at the sound of Loke laying down on the rocky ground. Panic surged in his chest as he raced over, quickly kneeling beside him.

“L-Loke, are you okay?” He stammered out, feeling the man’s neck for a pulse. Loke cracked open one eye and smiled mischievously. Cress felt his face flush and he quickly pulled his hand back, huffing out of embarrassment.

“I’m fine, Cress. Just tired.” He closed his eyes again and let out a breath. Cress let out a strained laugh and plopped down next to Loke and laid back. He tucked his hands behind his head and looked up at the night sky. It was so much clearer out here than back in Magnolia, and Cress could see twice as many stars out here in the wilderness. 

“You should go back, you know. You don’t have much strength left.” Cress stated, his leg brushing Loke’s by accident. Cress expected him to flinch, but he only tapped Cress’ foot lightly with his own.

The man let out a light laugh before responding, “I know, and I will. I just wanted to say thank you without the ever-intimidating presence of the Celestial King.” He paused briefly, and out of the corner of his eyes Cress could have sworn the man was blushing. “I… Wanted to ask you if you’d like to go out for dinner sometime when I get back. Now that I’m one of your keys, I figured it would be a nice opportunity to discuss contract details.” He smiled, turning his head to face Cress and winking. 

Cress snorted, but smiled. “That sounds nice. I think I’d be up for that.” He turned his head slightly and the two locked eyes. Cress noticed that for once, Loke’s smile seemed to reach his eyes, and his heart fluttered.

It was then that Loke’s form began to shimmer with golden light, and slowly he began to fade. “I’ll see you soon, Cress.” 

Cress blinked and Loke was gone, only leaving a few stray sparkling lights behind. The mage sighed and stayed on his back for a moment before sitting back up. He put his hand in his pocket, only to be met with a cool metal object. Cress cocked a brow, knowing that it was most certainly too big to be the ring Loke had given him. He grasped the object and pulled it out of his pocket, and his eyes widened at the sight of Leo’s golden gate key. 

A laugh bubbled in Cress’ chest, and he smiled down at the key. “You dramatic bastard.” He shook his head, before pocketing the key again. It clinked against the ring in his pocket, and Cress took out the ring to examine it under the starlight. His smile only widened as the inscription shifted between the two phrases, and he gently slipped it onto his pointer finger. 

Cress stood and dusted down his jeans. With one last glance towards Karen’s grave, he could have sworn he saw a ghostly figure hovering by the headstone, but as Cress blinked, it was gone. The stars glimmered above him as he began his long walk home, the alien feeling of a ring on his finger somehow causing a feeling of calm to wash over him.

He twisted the ring in his other hand absentmindedly, his mind bought back to the new inscription that he had seen shift under the twilight.

_Regulus. Cress Eventide._


End file.
